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Spoiler Shield: New app claims it can block sports, TV spoilers from social media

ent_130925_bob_odenkirk.jpg

This image released by AMC shows Bob Odenkirk in a scene from the final season of "Breaking Bad." AMC and Sony Pictures Television on Wednesday, Sept. 11, confirmed that Odenkirk, who plays Saul Goodman, will star in a one-hour prequel tentatively titled "Better Call Saul." Breaking Bad" concludes its much-acclaimed five-season run on Sept. 29.
(AMC, Ursula Coyote | The Associated Press)

Missed your favorite show last night? Watching the game you DVR-ed later? Fret not, you may no longer have to fear the dreaded "spoiler alert."

A new app called Spoiler Shield promises to block social media users from seeing "spoilers" about more than 30 TV shows, including "Breaking Bad," "Survivor," "The Voice" and "Game of Thrones." Launched over the weekend, it also claims it can hide MLB and NFL scores for every professional baseball and football team.

The New York Daily News reports developers Josh Solt and Matthew Loew created the smartphone application after seeing fan backlash over the recent "Red Wedding" episode on "Game of Thrones." Many were disappointed to learn through Twitter or Facebook that [spoiler alert] died before watching the HBO show themselves.

Users select what television series or sports teams they'd like blocked from seeing as tweets or status updates, and the app hides it thanks to an algorithm that detects related words and phrases, as well as the name of the show. According to The Next Web, users can still see who shared the spoiler and double-click a gold shield covering up the post if they really can't wait to watch to find out what happened.

It's similar to a Google Chrome extension called Silencer that allows fans to type in keywords themselves to block news stories and social media sites from appearing on the web browser. However, TNW notes users have to do most of the heavy work themselves, inserting in hashtags, nicknames and abbreviations that others might use to hide everything.

Spoiler Shield is currently available as a free download through iTunes for iPhone and iPad devices. An Android version is expected soon, according to the Daily News.

What do you think of spoiler alerts on social media? Should users avoid posting them for the sake of other viewers, or are apps like Spoiler Shield necessary in today's world?